Historic Centre of Santa Cruz de Mompox

Brief Description

Founded in 1540 on the banks of the River Magdalena, Mompox played a key role in the Spanish colonization of northern South America. From the 16th to the 19th century the city developed parallel to the river, with the main street acting as a dyke. The historic centre has preserved the harmony and unity of the urban landscape. Most of the buildings are still used for their original purposes, providing an exceptional picture of what a Spanish colonial city was like.

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Long Description

The historic centre of Santa Cruz de Mompox is an outstanding example of a Spanish colonial settlement established on the banks of a major river and serving in an important strategic and commercial role which has survived remarkably intact to the present day.
Mompox was founded in 1540 by Juan de Santa Cruz, Governor of Cartagena, who gave his name to the site. Its history forms an integral part of the processes of colonial penetration and dominion during the Spanish conquest and of the growth of communications and commerce during the 17th to early 19th centuries. It is a riverside settlement on the country's main waterway into the interior highlands, the Magoarena River, close to its confluence with the Cauca River, the other main communication waterway.
The town grew along the banks of the river, on which walls were built to protect it during periods of high water. Instead of a central square or plaza to serve as the site of government, it had three plazas in line, each with its own church, and corresponding with a former Indian settlement. Mompox was of great logistic and commercial importance: traffic between the port of Cartagena and the interior travelled down the rivers, while overland routes also converged upon the town.
The growth of Mompox was favoured by the appearance of a ruling social class of colonists, often employed by the colonial regimes and granted the privilege of possessing land and taking Indians, deprived of their lands and pushed into small reservations, as virtual slaves to work its. [something missing here] The clerics and members of the religious orders formed the other element of the ruling class in the town, and the churches and convents of the Augustinians, Dominicans, Franciscans, and later the Jesuits came to dominate its monumental appearance.
The slow development of Mompox during the colonial period is reflected in its urban consolidation: during the course of the 17th century it changed from a narrow linear settlement to a more two-dimensional arrangement of streets, connecting lanes and varied facades. It was the streets that determined the evolution of the urban fabric of the town. Further growth was limited by the flood plain lying immediately behind La Albarada.
With the early wars of independence and the ensuring civil wars Mompox began to fall into a decline, and this was made worse by the gradual change of course of the Magdalena River, which left the town's river frontage stranded and deprived it of its identity as a river port. The result was economic stagnation, which lasted until the last decade of the 20th century.
The urban design of Mompox grew from its relationship with the river. Each square has its own churches, and these churches served as forts in the early years of the settlements. The most interesting one is probably the church of Santa Barbara, dating from the late 16th century, whose delicate structure and spacious interior are complemented by its tower, the most outstanding architectural feature of the town. From the 17th century onwards, houses were built on the Calle de La Albarada with the ground floors given over to small shops. These 'house-store' buildings, which began to appear in the 17th century, are built in rows of between three and ten units. Significant in their contribution to the townscape is the fact that the open hallways across the front share a common roof. Many have now been adapted to residential use.
The private houses of the 17th to early 19th centuries are laid out round a central or lateral open space, creating linked environments adapted to the climate and local customs. The earliest type of house for merchants or Crown servants is that with a central patio; there is often a secondary patio for services attached at the back of the building. The house round the lateral patio is later and usually applied as smaller building plots or after the division of a central patio building. A subgroup results from the separation of part of a large central-patio house: single long buildings divided up into smaller dwellings survive from the early period and retain important features such as decorated portals and interiors, balconies and galleries.
Source: UNESCO/CLT/WHC

Historical Description

Mompox was founded in 1540 by Juan de Santa Cruz, Governor of Cartagena, who gave his name to the site. This occurred only seven years after the foundation of Cartagena and two years after that of the capital of the New Kingdom Of Granada, Santa Fe de Bogota. Its history forms an integral part of the processes of colonial penetration and dominion during the Spanish conquest and of the growth of communications and commerce during the 17th to early 19th centuries. It is a riverside settlement on the country's main waterway into the interior highlands, the Magdalena river, close to its confluence with the Cauca river, the other main communication waterway. The town was sited on one of the few areas of higher ground (33 m above sea-level> in a flat, swampy region subject to flooding.
The town grew along the banks of the river, on which walls were built to protect it during periods of high water. Instead of a central square or plaza to serve as a site for government, it had three plazas in line, each with its own church, and corresponding with a former Indian settlement. Mompox was of great logistic and commercial importance: traffic between the port of Cartagena and the interior travelled down the rivers, whilst overland routes also converged upon the town.
The growth of Mompox was favoured by the appearance of a ruling social class of colonists, often employed by the colonial regimes and granted the privilege of possessing land and taking Indians as virtual slaves to work its (the encomienda system>. The Indians were deprived of their lands and pushed into small reservations. However, this, coupled with the harsh climatic and geographical conditions, made farming and ranching difficult,with the result that there was no solid socio-economic basis for the town, which grew only slowly. It also attracted a motley population, among whom smuggling was a profitable way of life. Such growth as there was during the Colonial period was due to the relatively small number of more affluent burgesses, whose wealth came from farming and trade. A number came to Mompox from Cartagena, bringing with them craftsmen and artisans to supply their more luxurious needs. The clerics and members of the religious orders formed the other element of the ruling class in the town, and the Churches and convents Of the Augustinians, Dominicans, Franciscans, and, later, Jesuits came to dominate its monumental appearance.
The slow development of Mompox during the Colonial period is reflected in its urban consolidation. During the course of the 17th century it changed from a narrow linear settlement to a more two-dimensional arrangement of streets, linking lanes, and varied facades. It was the streets that determined the evolution of the urban fabric of the town, their roles being demonstrated by their names - La Calle Real del Medio (The Royal Central Street>, La Calle de Atras (The Street Behind>, and Calle de la Albarrada (The Street of the Retaining Wall>. Further growth was limited by the flood plain lying immediately behind La Albarrada. The progress that was made by Mompox is well illustrated by the mid-18th century historian Pedro Salzedo del Villas, who noted in his Apuntamientos Historiales that "the city contained six hundred houses and stores with brick walls and tile roofs on most of them, all large and comfortable and well built; they are solid, generally one or two storeys, and have ample vestibules and gardens. There are nearly 1800 thatch-roofed houses and cottages altogether ... "
With the early wars for independence and the ensuing civil wars in the first half of the 19th century Mompox began to fall into decline, as its upper-class citizens died or went into exile and farming was abandoned under the pressure of hostilities. The insecurity led to both the town and its region losing their socio-economic dynamism, and this was made worse by the gradual change of course by the Magdalena river, which left the town's river frontage stranded and deprived it of its identity as a river port. The result was economic stagnation, which lasted until the last decade Of the 20th century, when tourism has led to some degree of revival.
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